We know that oily skin can sometimes feel like a curse. When oily skin rages out of control due to hormones, environmental factors or other acne aggressors, it can feel like a real acne-producing nightmare.

So how do we keep our oily skin under control? Our skin experts from The Pond’s Institute listed 6 steps we can all include in our skin regimes to keep the oil in check.

1. Wash your face, but not too often

It may be very tempting to cleanse your face each time it gets oily. But in fact, over-cleansing can make your skin produce extra oil. Wash your face 2 to 3 times a day, max. Once in the morning and before you go to bed. You can wash once after lunch too, if you’d like. A good solution that’ll cleanse your skin is Pond’s Acne Clear White Facial Foam.

2. Wash your face with lukewarm water

Very hot and very cold water can strip your skin of its natural oils. This throws the moisture balance off by making skin excessively dry. So to compensate, your skin produces more oil, resulting in a vicious oil-producing cycle. The key is to stick to water at room temperature— not too hot, not too cold.

3. Pick a cleanser with salicylic acid

Salicylic acid controls sebum production and limits bacterial growth. It also encourages the shedding of dead skin cells and unclogs pores. This prevents skin inflammation and the formation of the different types of acne variations —whiteheads, blackheads or pimples. Read more about the different types of acne here.

4. Use cleansing wipes during the day

When your skin gets sticky, dirty and greasy while on the move, wipes such as Pond’s Cleansing Towelettes can be your quick fix. It’s a great solution for keeping your skin fresh, clean and balanced, without being too harsh or abrasive on your skin.

5. Remove make-up at the end of the day

After a whole day of exposure, your pores can get clogged with makeup residue, excess oil, dirt, dust and bacteria. If this combination doesn’t inspire you to cleanse, think about what happens when you let it stew in your pores overnight. Clogged pores can become can form pimples, making the oily skin situation a lot worse.